Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Episode: Hour 1: Seasons on the Brink?
Air Date: September 19, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg (not present in Hour 1)

Overview

Hour 1 of "Seasons on the Brink?" is a football-centric, candid, and often blistering discussion of the dire state of New York football. Don La Greca and Alan Hahn dig in on what an 0-3 start for both the Giants and Jets would mean—not just for this season, but for the long-term health, relevance, and fan loyalty of football in the city. The discussion pulls in hard data, historical context, fan behavior, and the unique pressure-cooker climate of New York sports. Notably, the segment features passionate caller contributions, reflections on ownership dysfunction, and a sobering look at the risk of fan apathy.

Key Points & Discussion Breakdown

1. Setting the Stakes: 0-3 is a Death Knell

Timestamps: 00:53–05:55

• Don opens with a sense of foreboding, noting that a double 0-3 start for the Giants and Jets would, by historical standards, end realistic playoff hopes.
• Alan reinforces the grim math: only "six times since 1990 has a team made the playoffs after an 0-3 start" [03:13].
• Discussion extends to the psychological toll: New York, the biggest media market, “is the football failure capital of the country.”
• They reflect that the seasonal goalpost for “relevance” has moved from “survive until Thanksgiving” to “please just still matter by Halloween.”

2. A Decade of Dysfunction and Dwindling Interest

Timestamps: 05:55–09:23

• Alan cites John Winthrop’s stat: the Jets (56) and Giants (57) have the fewest wins in the NFL since 2015.
  • “For you to be averaging less than six wins a season for a decade, you are seeing the erosion of interest in these teams.” — Don [07:02]
• They recall 1970s–80s NY teams, noting it was harder then to make the playoffs—yet somehow, things seem more hopeless now despite more spots.
• Don draws a connection between persistent losing and the growing number of younger fans rooting for out-of-market teams:
  • “So when you’re talking about a decade of bad football, Allen, how many kids aren’t rooting for the Jets and Giants like their dad did? They’re rooting for another team or, God forbid, just saying, why do I even get interested in football?” [08:36]

3. The Weight of New York & Inherited Futility

Timestamps: 09:23–13:38

• Alan laments that "the jerseys in this town are heavier than in any other town."
• New coaches (Aaron Glenn for Jets, Brian Daboll for Giants) inherit not just bad rosters, but decades of pain and impatience:
  • “Every coach that has taken over is picking up bad.” — Alan [11:09]
  • “You literally not seen your team in the postseason for 15 friggin years... 80% of your franchise was either not alive or too young to remember their last championship.” — Don [12:27]
• The hosts sympathize with fans burned by PSLs, stadium location, shared venue, and long commutes, concluding NY football fans “deserve better” [13:38].

4. Ownership Issues & Hopelessness at the Top

Timestamps: 15:24–18:38

• Other teams with chronic losing (e.g., Browns) at least only compete for attention with a few other teams; NY’s crowded sports landscape means irrelevance is quickly punished.
• Even given all that, Don wonders:
  • “How do you not get it right? ...There’s two of everything!"
• They agree the NFL at large doesn’t care about the NY teams’ dysfunction, since national/TV fan engagement is so easy now. “Accountability at the very top” is totally lacking.

5. Embarrassment, Ownership, and Fan Frustration

Timestamps: 18:38–22:17

• Don points to home games full of opposition fans as a new low. “How much red are you going to see on Sunday night, Allen, at MetLife Stadium?” [18:38]
• Discussion shifts to the futility of firing coaches/GMs while the real, persistent problem is ownership:
  • “When do you start realizing...maybe I'm doing a terrible job hiring the right people?” — Alan [19:53]
  • “If I see every face in the room has changed but mine over the last decade, then I guess it’s time to point the finger at me.” — Don [20:16]

6. The Threat of Apathy: Mad Is OK, “I Don’t Care” Is Fatal

Timestamps: 22:17–24:44

• Don and Alan agree: “I can deal with mad. I can’t deal with ‘I don’t care.’” — Don [22:17]
• The risk is fans simply stop showing up, even for free—leading to half-empty stadiums and a cycle of indifference.
• The only thing left to try, they joke: “bags over the head” and “visual embarrassment” [23:49].

7. Can New Leadership or a Savior Solve It?

Timestamps: 24:44–28:13

• Both franchises, in the hosts’ eyes, are waiting for “a savior,” be it coach, GM, or star player, to drag them out of the mud.
• They close the first hour challenging both teams: “You want to shut us up? Go out there. Jets and Giants win, right. Go to 1-2 and give us a reason to believe.” — Don [24:44]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Don, on generational fan loss:

  “Are we gonna one day fast forward to there being less fans of these two teams?... So many ways to consume other sports and other teams. If this doesn't turn around soon, we're gonna see the erosion of two of the biggest fanbases in not just this city, but in the entire country.” [08:15]

• Alan, on New York fan suffering:

  “God bless all of you, I mean all of you, for going to these games and setting up your tailgates and getting excited about ... moral victory Monday, it’s the most embarrassing day of the week for a New York football fan.” [13:38]

• Don, on accountability:

  “If I see every face in the room has changed but mine... then I guess it's time to point the finger at me. And we're talking about ownership.” [20:16]

• Alan, on apathy:

  “As a franchise…you can’t just be like, well, at least our diehards will be there. But you don’t want that.” [22:13]

• Don, on fan apathy vs. anger:

  “I can deal with mad. I can't deal with, I don't care. And that's what we're getting to the point of where Giants and Jet fans, after another look, they're just not going to be mad. They're not going to care anymore. Apathy is something I can't... That's not good sports radio.” [22:17]

Selected Caller Interactions

Dave (Giants fan):

Timestamps: 32:05–34:46

• Realistic about the season, only wants to see rookie QB Jackson Dart play: “The whole season is: is Jackson Dart our quarterback for the next 10 years? Or is he not?” [32:13]
• Fine with losing if Dart develops, wants regime changed otherwise: "Marriage should be able to know that this, this guy's a pretty damn good quarterback. But…Daboll’s got to get out of there.” [33:37]
• Don and Alan debate when it's right to insert Dart, balancing development with not ruining him behind a bad offensive line.

Griffin (football/baseball):

Timestamps: 49:06–51:25

• Expresses doubt Giants can “stay close” with the (struggling) but desperate Chiefs, worries especially about OL health and defensive pass rush.
• Brief baseball sidebar on the Guardians’ improbable division comeback, used by hosts to highlight unpredictable swings in sports.

Ownership Dysfunction: Breaking It Down

Timestamps: 43:10–48:45

• Don: Mara and Johnson both want to win, but simply lack the know-how.
• Alan: The true path forward—find the best, “give them the job and get out of the way.”
• Don: Giants tradition of “only hiring people with organizational ties” (e.g., Tom Coughlin only after prior coaching stint with NYG).
• Both hosts agree: The NFL’s biggest off-field problem—owners who meddle, rather than empower proven winners.

Final Thoughts as Hour 1 Closes

• The Giants’ issues are systemic and historical, and new management styles may be required.
• The Hour closes with the hope that one or both teams can at least show "evidence of progress"—not necessarily wins, but competence, development and competitiveness.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:53 — Main football discussion begins: season on the brink
• 03:13 — 0-3 “death knell” playoff stats
• 05:55 — Decade of losing: stats on wins since 2015
• 09:23 — The weight of New York, impatience, fan alienation
• 13:38 — The unique suffering/loyalty of NY football fans
• 18:38 — Embarrassment at MetLife: stadium filled by opponents’ fans
• 20:16 — Ownership: “point the finger at me” for decade-long losing
• 22:17 — The danger of fan apathy eclipsing anger
• 24:44 — "Waiting for a savior" analysis
• 32:05 — Caller Dave, rookie QB development, regime change
• 41:06 — Andrew Thomas (OT) injury update and impact on Giants
• 43:10 — On ownership and failed attempts at “not meddling”
• 49:06 — Caller Griffin on Giants-Chiefs prospects, baseball aside

Tone & Style

• Banter is sharp, exasperated, but rooted in deep New York fandom and loyalty.
• Equal parts stats, history, and personal experience; often passionate, sometimes resigned.
• No sugar-coating: The mood is urgent, bordering on existential dread about NY football’s trajectory.

Summary in a Nutshell

Don and Alan argue it's not hyperbole—another losing weekend likely means not only another lost season, but more permanent damage to the fanbase and franchise reputations for both NY football teams. Ownership ineptitude and a decade of failure have them forecasting not just anger, but dangerously rising apathy. The ultimate message: New York sports fans deserve better, but may not get it until the right changes are made at the very top.